If you’re planting a garden this spring, you’re going to want to brush up on some tips after a long, cold winter. There’s nothing better than spending quality time in the backyard building something beautiful — but only if you’re armed with the right strategies. Here are four of them:

1. Plant at the proper time and place. According to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department at the University of California, Davis, you should place plants expected to grow bigger on the north side of your garden and shorter plants on the southern side. This prevents taller plants from blocking the sun. You can also refer to the instructions on the seed packets or do some research online.

2. Water creatively. If you boil a lot of vegetables as part of your household diet, Weekend Gardener Magazine says to use that water on your plants to fertilize them and improve their color. You can mist your seedlings with chamomile tea, which serves as a natural fungicide.

3. Fertilize with egg shells. According to Backwoods Home Magazine, egg shells serve as an effective fertilizer for your garden. They contain calcium, nitrogen and other trace elements conducive to plant growth. Run them through your food processor and sprinkle them around the base of each plant. Just be sure to clean your appliances thoroughly before using them again.

4. Spread out weeding time. If you’ve ever maintained a garden before, you know that weeding is one of the most important parts of keeping it in tip-top shape. Instead of doing your weeding all at once, try covering a portion of your garden every few days. Karen Bussolini, a NOFA-accredited organic land care professional and eco-friendly garden coach, says to “keep the ground covered with plants or mulch to give weeds no place to seed in. Mulch also keeps soil moist and cool.”

Keep yourself safe while gardening by always using gloves when handling potting soil, compost and any other type of dirt — it could contain dangerous chemicals, especially if you use pesticides or fertilizer. Even if these things have only been used previously in your garden, they could pose a threat. If you’ve got dirt under your fingernails when you’re done, HGTV suggests using them to scrape some soap off of a bar and scrubbing them with a nail brush.

Gardening is fun, therapeutic and a great form of exercise — just be sure you stay safe in the process.